Bessarabian “black” lamb
Cuisine: Odessa
Author: Maria Kalenska
Prep time: 10 hrs 15 mins
Cook time: 2 hrs
Total time: 12 hrs 15 mins


Ingredients
  • 1 bone-in leg of lamb, about 1½ kg
  • 2 heads of garlic, regular or smoked
  • 150 ml olive oil
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • pepper mixture, freshly ground
  • sea salt
Cooking method
  1. Peel the garlic. Remove the rosemary leaves from the stem. Make cuts in the meat and stuff with garlic and rosemary leaves. Then rub the lamb with salt, a mixture of peppers, and olive oil. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 10-15 hours.
  2. Heat oven to 160˚C. Cover the lamb with foil and bake in the oven. After 2 hours, raise the oven temperature to 180˚C. Remove the foil and leave the meat in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes, until it becomes golden brown. Cut the meat from the bone and serve.
My tips and tricks
Never wash meat before you start cooking. Instead, wipe it off with a kitchen paper. Water cannot remove all bacteria from meat; they die during cooking at high temperatures. At the same time, a crust forms more slowly on wet meat and you will not get the right taste and aroma in the dish.

Maria Kalenska Gastronomy Blog | https://www.myodesacuisine.com/recipes/bessarabian-black-lamb/